Molly Kawahata Former Climate Advisor in the Obama White House; Founder of Systemic Impact Strategies; Award-Winning Speaker; Host of The Full Spectrum Podcast

Select Keynotes

• THE SCIENCE OF HOPE: Driving Personal Growth and Organizational Change (Signature Keynote)
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  THE SCIENCE OF HOPE: Driving Personal Growth and Organizational Change (Signature Keynote)

  This is the keynote that changes how people think about possibility, performance, and leadership. Drawing from the Science of Hope, this session introduces a practical, research-backed framework for navigating complexity, building resilience, and leading with vision—even in high-pressure environments. Blending real-world stories with cutting-edge insights, we cover the core pillars of Collective Hope, Hope-Based Leadership, and Hope-Based Communication. Participants will walk away with a deeper understanding of how Hope works—not just as a feeling, but as a powerful cognitive skill that drives clarity, motivation, and momentum. Whether you're leading a team, driving culture, or simply trying to move forward with purpose, this session offers the mindset and tools to turn challenge into opportunity—and help others do the same.

  Ideal for: Corporate teams, leadership summits, all-hands meetings, educational institutions, healthcare organizations, wellness programs, public audiences, retreats, and any group looking to deepen resilience, strengthen connection, and build a more hopeful, future-focused culture.

• HOPE-BASED LEADERSHIP: The Science Behind Visionary, Transformational Leadership
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  HOPE-BASED LEADERSHIP: The Science Behind Visionary, Transformational Leadership

  The most powerful leaders don’t just manage teams—they give people hope. This session unpacks the Science of Hope as a cognitive framework that fuels visionary thinking, resilience in uncertainty, and the kind of leadership people want to follow. Whether you're driving innovation, building movements, scaling an organization, or shaping culture, Hope-Based Leadership gives you the tools to inspire action by creating the conditions where people believe a better future is possible—and that they have a role in making it real.

  Ideal for: Executives, founders, elected officials, military and community leaders, educators, entrepreneurs, managers, team leads, and anyone seeking to inspire and lead teams, organizations, medical schools, groups, or movements with greater clarity, purpose, and impact.

• HOPE-BASED WORKPLACES: Collective Hope: Cultivating a Hope-Driven Organizational Culture
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  HOPE-BASED WORKPLACES: Collective Hope: Cultivating a Hope-Driven Organizational Culture

  In times of rapid change and growing uncertainty, it's easy for people to feel overwhelmed or checked out. This keynote brings the Science of Hope to life—showing teams how to build mental resilience, reconnect with their goals, and feel more in control of their work and future. Organizations that create hope-based work cultures see increases in retention, productivity, engagement, job satisfaction—and significant improvements in team dynamics. The presentation focuses on giving people a tangible, evidence-based framework they can use to navigate challenges, adapt faster, and stay energized in the face of pressure. Hope has been proven to be a protective force against burnout. When people feel more hopeful, they’re more likely to believe their work matters.

  Ideal for: Company-wide keynotes, all-hands meetings, culture initiatives, hospitals and healthcare professionals, company retreats, and any organization looking to build collective hope, bolster resilience, and foster a more connected, future-focused culture.

• HOPE-BASED SCHOOLS: Building Collective Hope in Educational Communities (Student & Faculty Versions)
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  HOPE-BASED SCHOOLS: Building Collective Hope in Educational Communities (Student & Faculty Versions)

  This interactive session brings the Science of Hope into the heart of education—offering educators, faculty, and students powerful, research-backed strategies to cultivate agency, goal-setting, and resilience. Participants will explore how Hope is not just a soft sentiment, but a measurable, teachable cognitive skill that’s been proven to enhance academic achievement, mental health, engagement, and long-term success. Educators and school leaders will learn how to create classroom and campus environments that support Collective Hope—a shared belief that the future can be better, and that we all have the power to shape it. Drawing from a framework rooted in the Science of Hope, the session offers strategies to strengthen morale, decrease burnout, enhance school and university culture, and support students through challenges and transitions. The Science of Hope has been shown to be able to impact everything from mental health to academic achievement. Students leave with new skills they can deploy to bolster resilience, zero in on their goals, increase their confidence in their ability to overcome setbacks, and enhance their sense of agency in shaping their futures.

  Ideal for: K-12 and higher education faculty, administrators, counselors, school boards, district leaders, university faculty and staff, medical schools, students, and organizations interested in building stronger, more hopeful learning communities.

• HOPE-BASED STORYTELLING: Crafting Narratives that Inspire Real-World Action
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  HOPE-BASED STORYTELLING: Crafting Narratives that Inspire Real-World Action

  This session explores how to build powerful, emotionally resonant stories using the Science of Hope. Whether you're making films, pitching investors, building a brand, or launching a campaign, you’ll learn how to tell stories that don’t just highlight problems—but move people toward action. Grounded in narrative psychology and real-world impact, this workshop gives you practical tools to structure stories based in our Hope-Based Storytelling Framework. Integrating the Science of Hope into your storytelling doesn't just uplift—it strategically positions your call to action as a pathway to a desirable and attainable future, thereby increasing the likelihood of audience engagement and action.

  Ideal for: Producers, creators, directors, founders, filmmakers, marketers, communications professionals, sales teams, entrepreneurs, campaigns, development professionals, brand strategists, and anyone who seeks to mobilize people around a call to action, develop a pitch, or tell a compelling, hope-driven story.

• HOPE-BASED CLIMATE ACTION: The Science of Mobilization and Change
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  HOPE-BASED CLIMATE ACTION: The Science of Mobilization and Change

  This session introduces a powerful, research-backed approach to climate leadership—one that moves beyond fear-based messaging and taps into the Science of Hope to mobilize meaningful change. Participants will learn how to craft more effective climate narratives, foster collective agency, and reframe climate action in ways that energize communities rather than overwhelm them. Grounded in cognitive science and real-world strategy, this session equips leaders and communicators with actionable tools to inspire momentum, sustain engagement, and help people believe that change is still possible—and that they each have a role to play.

  Ideal for: Sustainability teams, NGOs, advocates, employee resource groups, policy and government leaders, academic institutions, healthcare professionals, social impact organizations, and anyone working to advance climate solutions and drive systemic change.

• HOPE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS: Framing Messages that Move People
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  HOPE-BASED COMMUNICATIONS: Framing Messages that Move People

  This session focuses on the strategic side of hope—how to shape messages that inspire action, shift perception, and sustain belief. Grounded in narrative psychology, cognitive science, and decades of research around the Science of Hope, participants will learn how to craft communications that increase agency, build alignment, and create emotional resonance without resorting to fear, urgency, or other short-term tactics that can backfire. Whether you're leading a movement, launching a product, managing a crisis, or motivating a team, Hope-Based Communication offers a science-backed toolkit to help your message land, stick, and mobilize.

  Ideal for: Founders, campaign strategists, comms teams, marketers, brand leaders, healthcare professionals, fundraisers, and anyone tasked with crafting messages that need to not only inform—but inspire.